“Not just the nitty-gritty details of surveillance and writing stuff down. I’m talking about helping people. The ones that come to you desperate and in need. That seems to be something that might suit you.”
“I do tend to attract desperate, needy people. I’m like a magnet for losers. They recognize me as one of their own.”
“I meant more that you’re compassionate and seem to have a natural tendency to want to help people.” He shook his head. “Just my opinion. Take it or leave it.”
They went quiet again, but Eden’s brain was working, turning over what Darrak said. He was right. She did need something in her life to make everything worthwhile. To give her a reason to wake up in the morning. Was it working with Andy at a low-end detective agency? Had fate handed her this opportunity and she wasn’t taking advantage of it?
The universe did work in mysterious and somewhat annoying ways.
And if she applied the law of attraction to her life at the moment it would mean she’d attracted the job at Triple-A, as well as bringing Darrak into her life.
Maybe, down deep — way deep — there was something there she could learn and grow from and find a new path toward her bright, shiny future.
Or… not. Probably not.
Richard Morgan left the coffee shop and headed to work. Eden took a few more pictures, then followed at a fair distance until they got to his accounting office at the intersection of King and Bay. She parked and they waited.
For a long time.
Hours went by.
“This is boring,” Darrak said while he taste-tested the food Eden had grabbed on the corner for their lunch. “I take it back. Maybe there isn’t anything to be passionate about when it comes to investigation work. And this hot dog is disgusting. Do humans actually consider this food? It’s no peanut butter or chocolate donut, that’s for sure.”
“I suppose I could march right up to him and ask if he’s having an affair.”
“That would be the direct approach.”
“So you can’t do any demon thing and probe his mind? Force him to tell the truth? Grow horns and a tail and scare it out of him?”
“Horns and a tail?” Darrak said dryly.
She shrugged. “I’ve seen pictures of demons before.”
“Sounds more like a devil.”
She fished in her purse for more change for the parking meter. “The ones with the pointy genitalia.”
“See, I knew you were paying attention. There will be a pop quiz later.”
She studied Darrak for a moment. He looked a bit on edge. “You didn’t answer my question about the horns and a tail, though. You just diverted it.”
“Did I do that?”
“Yes.”
He gazed out of the window at the cement and glass sky-scrapers that surrounded them. “I can’t believe we’ve been sitting here for so long. Talk about hell on earth.”
His refusal to answer her question was starting to trouble her.
“You mentioned that Fay used some sort of a, what did you call it, a glamour? To hide her fairy appearance and look more human.”
“I did say that, didn’t I? Well, fairies don’t look much different than humans. Just a little bit scarier.”
“You never really answered me before.” She swallowed. “But, is that what you do, too? Is this what you normally look like or is this a glamour so you won’t scare me?”
He turned to look at her and she studied his now-familiar handsome face, his square jaw and lips she had been exploring up close and personal only a couple hours ago. His dark hair, slightly messy and slightly too long. His ice blue eyes that she’d seen shine with good humor or burn with anger or pain. It was hard to remember that he actually was a demon, and sometimes she had to admit that she forgot.
But she did remember her first impression of his physical appearance when he’d taken form. That it was too perfect, too appealing, to be real. That it was some sort of a trap to lure her closer so he could devour her whole.
She shivered.
“There are some things about me,” Darrak began, a bit tentatively, “that it is best you don’t know.”
The fear that had disappeared toward the demon came slithering back. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He looked at her sharply. “I tell you that there are things about me you shouldn’t know, and you still want to know?”
“I’m curious.”
“Don’t be. This is who I am, Eden. The man you see in front of you. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“You’re a demon, not a man. Men don’t turn into black smoke at sunset and have to possess people in order to survive. Men aren’t afraid of draining others of too much energy.”
“And a full demon wouldn’t care who he drained.”
“So if you’re not a full demon, then what are you?”
His face was blank of expression, but his brows had drawn together as if he was concentrating very hard. “I wish I knew. Three hundred years of living inside of humans… it’s changed me, Eden.”
She was about to ask how it had changed him when his eyes narrowed as he looked out the windshield. “Your cheater is on the move.”
Richard left through the front doors of his office building at just after two o’clock. She shifted into drive and followed his car as he seemed to go through a list of chores. Drugstore, liquor store, even the library.
She tried very hard not to think about what Darrak had said. Or rather, what he
She gripped the steering wheel. She really didn’t know who Darrak was at all. All she knew was what he’d told her. She was going on faith alone. Faith in a demon who’d been cursed to lose his former body — whatever it had looked like then — over three centuries ago by a black witch.
Which sounded completely insane when she actually thought about it.
“Relax,” he said, noting her tense form. “Nothing’s changed. I’m not going to hurt you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“No, of course not. You’re too weak.” She cleared her throat. “But if you weren’t, then maybe I’d be in trouble.”
“I could have taken way more energy from you yesterday. Or even when you were sleeping and dreaming about your golden boy. But I didn’t.”
“You said you might not be able to stop.”
“But I did stop. I’m not saying it was easy, but I did. We might not get along that well, but I mean you no harm. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me so far.”
Eden pulled the car to the side of the road as Richard stopped in front of another Starbucks. “I haven’t done anything.”
“Sure you have. You’ve accepted something into your life that would make a whole hell of a lot of humans run for the hills screaming. You didn’t know any of this was real until just a couple days ago. And you’ve handled it so well. You’re very strong.”
“Is that the impression I’m giving you?” she said. “Because I’m shaking like a leaf on the inside.”
“Can I do anything to make you feel more comfortable with me again?”
“Again? Did I feel comfortable with you
His lips twitched. “Well, you know what I mean.”
She thought about that. “Tell me your true name.”
